LAKE ELSINORE, Riverside County — October 26, 2026. People who use Interstate 15 at Nichols Road have a limited opportunity to comment on a proposed interchange expansion before environmental review advances. The City of Lake Elsinore and Caltrans District 8 scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday, October 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lake Elsinore Cultural Arts Center, 183 North Main Street.
What the project proposes
Caltrans describes a proposal to widen the Nichols Road freeway overcrossing and on- and off-ramps, increase vehicle-storage and shoulder capacity, add a northbound I-15 auxiliary lane segment, and build safer pedestrian and bicycle features including sidewalks, marked crossings, ADA-compliant curb ramps and bicycle lanes. The plan also includes improvements along Collier Avenue and a realigned Nichols Road with a new bridge over Temescal Creek west of the interchange.
The interchange is not approved for construction
This is the environmental Notice of Preparation and public scoping period, which runs October 13 through November 12, 2026. The meeting is intended to gather the public’s concerns about effects the Environmental Impact Report should examine. It is not an announcement that a specific expansion alternative has won approval or that construction will start on October 28.
How residents can comment
Caltrans identifies senior environmental scientist Kourtney Graves, reachable at 909-472-1362 or I15.Nichols.Interchange.Project@dot.ca.gov, as its contact for the review. Meeting material and a Spanish-language interpreter will be available, according to the agency.
Find the official Notice of Preparation in California CEQAnet, project 2026100370. Primary source: Caltrans District 8, October 12, 2026. Coverage: Lake Elsinore News.
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